[46TheDoctor]

Share of Maruti among my car purchases: 1/8

It was my first car, Swift ZXI in 2006 (which i sold in 2010) which was a really good car for those times and i was totally bowled over its looks in those times. So apart from stiff ride quality, there was almost nothing to complain about. Reliability was also top notch and so was the after sales service.

But having said that, i dont like any of the current Maruti Suzuki vehicles on offer and given the better product options that the competition offers, i am unlikely to buy any in the near future also as i have learned to live with less than perfect after sales service for better overall product experience with the cars i have bought afterwards.

[RavenAvi]

4 Marutis in our family till now (3 driven by Dad, 1 by me):

- the Esteem which Dad bought back in '98 (sold in 2012),

- the 2006 M800 which was my first car with which I learned driving (sold in 2012),

- the Ritz VDi (2012 Maruti Ritz VDI - Our new family workhorse! **EDIT: Now sold!**) which replaced our Esteem in 2012 (sold in 2014),

and

- our current Maruti steed is a silver Swift ZXI (Happy Birthday Dad - From all of us and your Maruti Swift ZXi! EDIT: 10,000 km up!) which is serving us faithfully since 2014.

Reasons why they came home:

1) My Dad - ever since he bought his Esteem home and stuck with it for 14 years and 1.67 lakh kms, Maruti became his default choice. Also, back in '98, the Esteem enjoyed the image of a style icon and scored high on social respect (with the Zen). Dad loves Marutis, period. He replaced the Esteem with the Ritz, and the Ritz was replaced by the Swift.

2) Maintenance - the Marutis in our family have been pretty much "fill it, shut it and forget it" types. No fuss, minimal maintenance.

3) Service support - we have been blessed with excellent service support both in Bhopal (where we bought the Esteem) and in Chhattisgarh (M800/Ritz/Swift).

4) Friendly and supportive staff - We have enjoyed excellent rapport with the dealership & service staff, and because of that we have received plenty of support from the local staff.

5) Ease of driving and road manners - Maruti-Suzuki has this knack of making cars which have their in-cabin ergonomics absolutely spot on. Also, most of their cars are dynamically sorted and have excellent driveability.

6) The Value-For-Money factor - Features not offered by other car makers in cars of similar price range has been a strong point for Marutis as well. Our Ritz VDi came with front fog lamps and our Swift ZXi has Automatic Climate Control - 2 distinguishing features which no other car offered at those price points when they were bought.

2 grouses I have always had with Maruti cars have been design & build quality. But with the mass market swaying towards "kitna deti hai", "kitna space hai" & "kitne features hai", Maruti catered to the aam junta and the result - numero uno in the sales charts.

Now, with the imminent BNVSAP crash test norms coming up, let's hope Maruti cars score high on build quality and safety as well.

[greenhorn]

If I have to choose Maruti (Which i doubt I will, because as much as the pros are good, the cons are worse, but that is for another thread)

1. Robust Quality assurance - The quality assurance processes of Maruti in india are above and beyond most peers. Only Toyota could probably beat it. More than the process, compliance also appears to be taken care of seriously, with any escalations appearing to be dealt with swiftly and effectively (at least that has been the pattern with MSIL complaints on this forum)
For a high level overview, check this out
https://www.slideshare.net/cooledu/s...nagementmaruti
This is a bit old, I am sure it has been improved further.

2. Easy Accessibility of parts info and availability
I was surprised to find such a wide network of maruti parts dealers.
http://www.mgp.co.in/
Also more surprising is the fact that the parts catalogs can be ordered by anyone. Until boodmo/99rpm, there was no way for me to figure out part nos - and having the catalogs available helped a lot.

Even more than the part availability, is the mgp outlet coverage, while i have seen parts sales outlets here and there from other manufacturers, nothing matches the mgp network, and even better, if a particular outlet does not have a part, they can always tell you which ones in your city do (at least for chennai, since a single dealer appears to own most of the outlets.

compared to tata, where ordering from TASC's themselves are hit and miss, and each one having no visibility into the others. Why, recently my local TASC claimed, after keeping me waiting for several weeks that there are no door beadings for my indica anywhere in the tata supply chain, while boodmo was able to find three distributors

3. Reliability - I know it has been beaten to death, but as a long suffering India owner, looking at my friend's 2003 wagon R which he bought in 2011 , I am simply amazed how an 8 year old car can run with only scheduled maintenance for another 8 years ( except for the accidents and consequential rust related damage). I think his entire service cost for the past 8 years should be in the same ballpark as my last Indica service bill alone!

[chiranjitp]

We currently have 3 cars in our garage, among them two are Marutis. One is 18 years old (99 Omni) & the other one is 16 years old (2001 zen vxi preowned since 2016). The replacement for Omni came in 2012, a Punto mjd. We clocked around 103k kilometers in 4.5 years before we sold her due to a dying engine. The Punto ownership was a real eye opener for us, part availability was a big problem, maintenance cost was very high & reliability was not even as good as our then 13 year old Omni.

The Marutis seem to keep running over long periods of time with just periodic maintenance, even the wear & tear parts like brake pads, clutch seem to last more than the competition. The next advantage would be the part availability, every spare parts store will surely have Maruti parts & even many smaller towns seem to have dedicated MGP stores. The cost of the spare parts are very low, even equivalently priced Hyundais (next big manufacturer) have significantly expensive spare parts. Even for parts which are long discontinued, there is a system in place where one could do a live stock search to find out if the part is in stock somewhere.

Having said that if I were to have only one car in our garage, I would not buy any current gen Maruti as they don't excel in the areas that I care most about w.r.t competition (build quality, ride quality, highway stability, powerful diesel engine). But If I were to have more than one car in our garage, the remaining car/cars has to be from Maruti, such is the faith I have on their cars that they will keep running without any problem.

[Thermodynamics]

I bought a Brezza last year for two reasons. I like it's proportional looks. It was the only compact SUV inside my budget that offered dual airbags and ABS. Eco-Sport facelift and Nexon weren't launched then, I didn't have choice.

Maruti's sucess in our country may be has to do with how they connect with customers. A word of mouth goes a long way. A relative of mine had bought an Alto 800 for 3.3 Lakhs in 2012. After 5 years and 40000 km, they wanted to upgrade to an automatic car. They exchanged it for Celerio AMT. Summing up discounts, loyalty bonus and exchange bonus, the old vehicle fetched them 2.6 Lakhs.

In my opinion, surely there are better vehicles than Maruti Suzuki, but are there any better player in customer relations?

Despite a defacto monopoly, the importance given to customer relationship is commendable.

[speedgun]

In my experience it's the availability of spares and multiple options available when it comes to periodic service. Also I did happen to use road side assistance from Maruti and have to say no one can come close to Maruti. Did call them around 6:30 AM and service team was at my home which is a village in Kerala by 7:00AM. Not even pizza delivery happens at this speed.

[nickatnite]

I own a Maruti too for four and a half years now and this car is low-tech rubbish which is ideal for indian conditions and i keep it only because i can get it fixed through my mechanic at half the cost and hassle of dealing with MASS. Nowhere else in the world will they be caught dead driving a Suzuki car in such large volumes except in India which is the sole reason for the survival of Suzuki. For example Suzuki is ranked 24th in sales in the UK which is a country the size of the erstwhile undivided Andhra Pradesh state. And the 3rd gen. Swift was released in the UK in 2016 with the interior we will never get. And, i'm sure there are people taking time out of work to visit a Maruti dealership to pay the 11,000 rupee deposit to get the early Swift cars before anyone else. We deserve what we get, i think.

[dark.knight]

Anyone who had a car in the 90's most probably had a Maruti.. in that manner many people who "criticize" Maruti, also know exactly what it is/was before they go to buy another brand.

There was nothing wrong with the Maruti of yore, they made cars at a time when there was literally no competition, yet their service costs were reasonable (though on the higher side but nothing that would indicate abuse of monopolistic advantage). They were building up to be more modern, updated in terms of looks and quality and had a variety of engines that were relevant to the respective chassis. It began with the 800, Zen, 1000, Omni, Esteem, Jeep, Baleno sedan.. so far so good, a variety of models that can please almost every need.. then somewhere in the cusp of automotive change in India they came out with the SX4 which was co-developed by both Suzuki and Fiat and designed by Giugiaro Studios running a 1.6 Suzuki petrol engine with 103 hp (if I'm not wrong).. great car, great build and great engine to match. Then came their flagship - the Kizashi with the 2.4 litre 185 hp engine which raised the bar at a time when there was none. Sales may have been poor but there was no reason not to stick with them and find a way to keep them around. What happened next was not so great and it happened around the same time as MS doing away with the Maruti logo and using the S, YET becoming more Indianized than ever.. out came models like Zen Estilo, face-lifted WagonR (3 times), A-Star, Swift (which I personally have never liked) and then it began.. sharing engines. As of today the Ciaz, S-Cross & Swift share the same smallish diesel engine and they are in 3 different segments altogether.. why not make an in-house 1.6/1.5 and a tweaked version of the petrol engines rather than use the same engines for years together?

Yes in the end any justification for their actions is valid, specially since this market is attracted towards lower cost (in terms of both price / mileage) and also since MS has been the quintessential car brand for this nation. The current lineup is working for almost everybody and for that in a business sense, nothing further needs to be done, however that doesn't mean that they are immune to criticism.. any brand here gets its share of much more severe bashing - be it VW, Fiat, Hyundai, GM, Honda etc.. Toyota surprisingly flies under the radar almost worldwide and hence escape judgement, perhaps for their sole obsession with reliability and having created a brand image to that same effect.

In my view there are car buyers who may :

1) Prefer a design that deviates from the industry standard, whether its timeless or fluidic.

2) Prefer a brand that deviates from the industry standard.. even at a higher cost/lower fuel efficiency.

3) Want to make a statement with a model that most may not touch with a barge-pole.

4) Have other priorities when buying a car that does not involve sporty ride or stiff suspension OR its opposite of comfy ride and soft suspension.

Between these 4 variables, there is not one brand that can satisfy all, so people go for closest match and hence everyone's choice is just right for themselves. Rest, the ownership experiences can be as varied as day and night.. I know buyers with a Vento petrol who've run 1 lakh km/7 yrs with NO issues, people who've faced severe issues with a Honda City and sold them under 20k kms/1 year, Hyundai Verna 1.6 petrols going well over 1.5 lakh kms with no issues yet an old-gen i10 with plenty of issues, Swifts with severe issues under 50k kms and so on. In the end each ownership is a combination of driving style, maintenance, luck (that it doesn't turn out a lemon) and overall willingness to adapt to the quirks of each car.

Sharing personal opinions combined with experiences is not bashing, in my opinion. In the end the sales numbers do not a winner make, its how each tale of ownership ends up being a reliable, happy & memorable time, that does and all brands have their share of victories in this regard.

[Sawyer]

Why don't sales numbers over a long enough period of time NOT make a car a winner? How do these arise if not from many happy customers? I can understand the reverse - that a car can be winner without selling in large numbers as long as the maker can afford to keep it in production. Maruti is clearly doing something right for many years now. The fact that some may not choose to buy a Maruti does not change that basic truth.

[dark.knight]

Originally Posted by Sawyer

Why don't sales numbers over a long enough period of time NOT make a car a winner? How do these arise if not from many happy customers?

True, and I've already mentioned in my above post that nothing needs to be done to the present lineup since it is working for almost everyone from a consumer perspective and a business perspective. Sales work and I'm most familiar with that fact being in marketing.. however I try to look at individual successful customer/client stories of different brands that focus on different aspects on product, aspects that won't otherwise be ever known or felt without experiencing the product first-hand.

Its in that view that I wrote that sales based off a long track record for many right reasons, for a consumer point of view will not determine a winner where there may be other brands that may offer more but are yet not publicized due to poor sales/perception. Maruti satisfies all their buyers no doubt, but that isn't the full picture and a few other brands too have success stories of good ownership while offering more (assuming that they are ignored purely for bad after-sales reputation).

[vb-saan]

There are so many positives associated with Maruti Suzuki, which explain their dominance in the Indian market. To name a few - understanding the mass market so well, bringing in relevant models in growing segments and exploding to the top place in that segment (e.g.; Baleno, Vitara Brezza), strong hold over dealership and service practices etc.

But if I am in the market for a new car, will I choose Maruti over other brands? I may do so here in Singapore (especially the brilliant Swift Sport), but not in India – at least with their current range. Reasons below:

1. With 50%+ market share in India, they can actually be the first movers in making safety features mainstream. If Suzuki does it, others have to comply to stay relevant the market – after all half of car buyers in India go home in a Maruti.
2. I am not really worried about the light build or tin-can allegations; lighter and stronger is what every manufacturer trying to achieve. But I am concerned that they are probably the only manufacturer who got the air to sell a car with no LHS review mirror. Even base variants of cars like Vitara Brezza are sold without ABS and dual airbags. Infact Suzuki maybe the only top-tier manufacturer in India who don’t have a car with 6 airbags or ESC in their entire portfolio (Nexa models included).
3. The above is still ok, if it’s their standard globally. In a comparatively minuscule market like UK (for Suzuki), they sell the Celerio with all the safety tech covered – ABS with EBD, ESP, 6 airbags and more. Same goes for the Baleno which is actually exported from India. This I find quite appalling!

To summarize, I feel they are wonderful in understanding the pulse of our market and consistently delivering successful products, but I personally feel there is a lack of manufacturer responsibility to their biggest market worldwide.

[Sawyer]

Originally Posted by vb-san

[*]The above is still ok, if it’s their standard globally. In a comparatively minuscule market like UK (for Suzuki), they sell the Celerio with all the safety tech covered – ABS with EBD, ESP, 6 airbags and more. Same goes for the Baleno which is actually exported from India. This I find quite appalling!

I suspect that this is because they cannot legally sell the car without these. If so, then what is appalling is the state of the regulations in India. Why blame the maker for offering a cheaper OPTION that meets all the regulations? People are always free to choose the higher trims that offer these.

You can only trust businesses all over the world to be guided by one thing above all - bottom line. Which is why no country practices pure capitalism minus such regulations it thinks are necessary in the public interest.

[deetjohn]

I have purchased Maruti before when the product made sense to us. Don't think I will buy a car just because its a Maruti. Sure, the Suzuki badge helps but it isn't the deciding factor.

The Maruti I like to bring home from their current stable is the Ignis. I love it inside out, and the presence of airbags/ ABS across the range is a good thing. But the stumbling block is the fact that Nexa is asking for a proper auto transmission money for the AMT. And I cannot digest that when both Ciaz and the Baleno gets a proper AT box.

[Nav-i-gator]

It's hard to pin-point one reason, because MS has a full circle of them in India.

MS cars sell in loads, so dealership is assured of steady profits => There are hundreds of dealers who want to take up MS dealership but don't get it => Since MS is market leader, it has a good command over their dealers and how they conduct (or else force closure, there is no dearth of people to take dealership) => Dealers are "required" to please their customers => customers are happy and delighted => they purchase more => More sales means MS can bear the fruits of economies of scale and keep their cost/car down =>MS cars are cheaper to own => MS remains a market leader.

[Sawyer]

Originally Posted by deetjohn

But the stumbling block is the fact that Nexa is asking for a proper auto transmission money for the AMT. And I cannot digest that when both Ciaz and the Baleno gets a proper AT box.

I dislike AMT as well, but neither Ciaz nor Baleno is a proper AT - they are CVTs. Slicker than AMT, but slower to respond than both AMT and a proper multi speed autobox as the Corolla has or the even more sophisticated ones in Polo/Vento/Ford.